


Our One And Only Song

by smith_lyra



Series: The Soldier And The Genius (a winteriron collection) [4]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Recovering, M/M, Protective Bucky Barnes, Soulmates, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 19:16:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17586770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smith_lyra/pseuds/smith_lyra
Summary: In an alternative universe where everyone is born with a song only their soulmate shares, Tony believed he was destined to be alone, until he found the one person he was bound to love





	Our One And Only Song

Some people were born with songs destined never to see the light. Others were born with songs that survived their generation and wormed their way into the youths’ heart: it wasn’t at all uncommon to hear people say “Today’s music sucks, one day I’ll show you my grandparents’ and bond, that was good music”. Suitable or not of each music taste, soulmate songs were always a big deal and children were encouraged to sing them aloud as soon as they learnt how to speak.

Tony had been a disappointment, but then when was he ever anything else to Howard. Tried as he might, the young genius had been unable to sing his song. Not because he didn’t have one, which he did. It was only that he didn’t recognize the words in it. That it was not an English song, was his first conclusion, and he soon eliminated Italian too. As soon as he was old enough to make choices, he started learning languages. It was neither French nor Spanish, and it definitely wasn’t Mandarin. He thought he was getting somewhere with German, but it turned out to be a dead end too. By the time he took over his father’s company at 21 he had given up on ever trying to understand. Perhaps this was fate’s way of telling him he was bound to end up alone: it didn’t matter. That was, at least, what Tony told himself. He partied, he drunk and he dated, and he never sang, not even the Italian songs he used to practice with his mother. Whenever he met someone from another country he couldn’t avoid the small blossom of hope in his chest, followed by the inevitable crash when he eventually heard them song for someone else.

Afghanistan had been torture, in every sense of the word. Being surrounded by people speaking a foreign language as rough as the one constantly on his head had kept him on edge the entire time, even though he knew the words he kept hearing had nothing to do with the ones in the song. When Rhodey finally found him and sang to him the calm lullaby he had been born with, Tony almost wept. English had never seemed as beautiful as in that moment.

Natasha Romanoff, of all things, was what gave him the idea of learning Russian, a language he had never considered before. He was astonished when some of the words he learnt started matching the ones in the song and, soon, he had translated the whole thing. But of course Natasha was already bonded to Clint, had been for years, so Tony once again kept his song to himself. If he once or twice travelled to Russia that was no one’s business but his.

The Avengers were a major pain in the ass 95% of the time, but Rhodey’s smile when he caught Sam singing the same lullaby he had, made everything worthy in his eyes. Bruce had lost his soulmate years before and absolutely refused to talk about her, and Steve didn’t have a song since the 40s and wasn’t too keen on that kind of conversation either. All fine for Tony – it wasn’t his favourite topic too.

When Steve came to him and told him his soulmate was back, Tony immediately offered to help. He was slightly less happy when he learnt said soulmate had killed his parents but he later came to terms with it, after the Captain explained the circumstances and Tony himself had read the files. With all his facial recognition systems looking for the man, Tony wasn’t surprised when he was quickly identified in Romania. As Steve and Sam left to get him, Tony readied a room and finished up his B.A.R.F. apparel, which he was pretty sure could help Bucky.

Except that the person Steve brought with him wasn’t Bucky Barnes. That was his name alright, or at least it had once been, but he wasn’t the same person anymore. This was a tough rough soldier who had murdered more people than they had ever been able to call friends, and he didn’t have Steve’s song anymore: in fact, he didn’t seem to have any song at all. Neither did Steve; his song didn’t come back to him when he saw Bucky. Heartbroken, the Captain let Tony take care of his best friend in the hopes that the B.A.R.F. would bring his memories back. As the treatment advanced, Bucky started regaining his memories, but not the feelings associated with them, those were irreparably lost after decades of torture and brainwashing.

Months later, when Tony deemed the experiment to be complete and Bucky sounded much more like a person again, Tony had many questions and only two certainties: that this Bucky was completely different from the Bucky who had fallen off the train, and that he was head over heels for the now-not-brainwashed assassin. But, with or without a song, Bucky had once been Steve’s soulmate and there was no chance at all he’d ever trade the big blond soldier who was his only connection to the 40s for an old genius. So Tony kept quiet and hid his love behind displays of generosity and friendship.

Weeks later, Tony entered the living room after a day of work and heard someone sing. As he was about to speak, he stopped short in shock. It was his song. So many years later, so many people later, his soulmate was in his living room, and he was singing in that low gravely voice that belonged to no other than Bucky Barnes. With his own voice a little strained by the tears he was trying to hold back, Tony started to sing along. The second word had barely left his mouth when Bucky jumped from the couch to gape at his soulmate.

“That’s... You have my song,” his tone was awe-struck as he shook his head in disbelief, “Steve keeps saying he’s my soulmate but it’s... it’s you.”

Tony nodded slowly, a small smile tugging slightly at his lips, “I am your soulmate. I do have a soulmate after all.”

Carefully, as if afraid Tony would break if he moved too fast, Bucky crossed the fee steps that separated them to cup his jaw.

“I thought Pepper was your soulmate.”

“No, we... we’re just friends. We tried to make it work but she has another song. I mean, why would Pepper have a Russian song?”

“Why would you?”

“Because I –, Tony replied, looking up through his lashes, – was the lucky guy destined to meet one James Buchanan Barnes, former fist of Hydra.”

With a mischievous grin, Bucky leaned closer to breathe against Tony’s ear, “Killing isn’t the only thing my fist is good for.”

“Why don’t you show me some others of its wonders, then, soldier ?”

And, with an equally mischievous smirk, Tony closed the gap between them to press their lips together.

 

**Author's Note:**

> In case it wasn't clear, Steve told Bucky he was his soulmate because he used to be back in the 40s. However, Hydra changed Bucky as a person, and his soulmate changed accordingly
> 
> I do writing by request, comment your prompts if you want!


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